Dr Mobeus
Golden Syrup Flapjacks
Flapjacks are quite possibly the cheapest bake in Britain. Oats are one of the least expensive foods per kilo on the shelf, and the rest of the recipe is just butter, sugar and a tin of golden syrup that lives in the cupboard for months. A whole tin of 12 chunky pieces costs about £1.90, which is around 16p a piece.
The method could not be simpler: melt the wet ingredients, stir in the oats, press into a tin and bake. It is genuinely harder to get them wrong than to get them right, which makes them the perfect first bake for kids or anyone new to the kitchen.
They also keep far better than most home baking. Stored in an airtight tin they stay chewy and good for a week, making them a proper lunchbox filler. Compare that to a pack of three flapjacks at the petrol station and the maths does itself.
Golden Syrup Flapjacks
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan and line a 20cm square tin with baking paper.
- Put the butter, golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until everything has melted together into a smooth glossy liquid. Do not let it boil.
- Take the pan off the heat, add the oats and salt and stir until every single oat is coated.
- Tip the mixture into the tin and press it down firmly with the back of a spoon. The harder you pack it in, the better the flapjacks hold together later.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden at the edges but still slightly soft in the middle.
- Mark into 12 pieces with a knife while still warm, then leave to cool completely in the tin before lifting out and cutting cleanly.
Tips and Variations
They firm up as they cool, so do not panic if they look soft when they come out of the oven, and underbake slightly for chewier results. Swap a spoonful of the syrup for black treacle if you like a darker flavour. A teaspoon of ground ginger in the mix is a classic variation. Store them airtight and they keep for up to a week.
